Not all hearing loss types are the same. The picture of your audiogram/hearing test can be different from your friends. Here is a little terminology to help you out! Hearing is considered “Normal” if when tested you can hear all the sounds presented between -10 to 20 decibels. If your test shows that you have some degree of hearing difficulty there are several types or pictures of hearing loss. Here are just a few:
One of the most common types of hearing loss is a “High Frequency” hearing loss. With this type of loss your hearing is within normal hearing thresholds in the low or mid frequencies and then drops off in the high tones. People with this type of loss often feel that they don’t have much of a hearing deficit, if any at all. This is because sounds are loud enough to hear at a normal level. Men’s voices will come in pretty good. However; with a “High Frequency” hearing loss it is difficult to UNDERSTAND what people are saying. They are loud enough...just not clear enough. This is because the consonants are in the high frequencies and therefore the consonants are not coming in strong enough to hear. Often people who have worked around noise will have this type of hearing loss.
Another type of hearing loss is a “Flat” hearing loss. This picture of your hearing loss is exactly what it sounds like; Flat. You may have a slight loss or even a severe loss but you hear all the tones when tested, at about the same intensity. People with this type of loss, especially if they live alone, don’t always realize the severity of it. When they watch TV they just crank up the volume and all seems well with the world. Often, people will tell me that the only problem they have is that “others are complaining that my TV is too loud.” This type of loss may have a conductive component or issue with the middle ear which may result in a referral to an Ear Nose and Throat Doctor. It may also may be a sensori-neural hearing loss and the use of a hearing instrument will provide fantastic results.
Another type of hearing loss is what is called a “Cookie Bite”. With this type of loss the patient hears the low frequencies and the high frequencies better than the mid frequencies. This type of loss is often noticed when the person is in their 20’s and 30’s. However, it is hard for someone that young to figure out what is going on and they make adjustments to their listening environments to adapt. For example; the “cookie bite” loss takes out the quality of music. Thus, adjusting the stereo’s graphic equalizer helps to ‘fix’ the problem. If someone has a cookie bite hearing loss they may not be able to even HEAR the person who is standing in front of them. This type of loss may be hereditary.
A reverse slope hearing loss is exactly that. Normally when we get a hearing loss we will hear the low frequencies a little better than the high frequencies. With a reverse slope type of hearing loss the low frequencies are much worse than the high frequencies. An ear impacted with ear wax can cause this type of loss. Get the wax out and the hearing loss is fixed. A hole in the ear drum may also cause a reverse slope hearing loss.
The last type I will talk about it the “Ski-Slope” hearing loss. Just as the name implies; the shape of the audiogram goes rapidly downhill in the high frequencies. This type of loss can occur from certain noise exposure and may be hereditary. This type of hearing loss provides great difficulty with speech understanding in noisy places. If this type of loss becomes profound then the patient may be a candidate for a cochlear implant.
Our hearing is complex and if we get a hearing loss it just gets more complicated! Protect your hearing when you are exposed to noise.... no matter how old you are! Everyone should have a base line hearing evaluation once they reach 50 years old. If you are noticing anything different about your hearing abilities then seek a qualified Hearing Health Care Provider. We are here to help! 385-3497
By: Roseann B. Kiefer, B.A., BC-HIS
To Hear Better Is To Live Better.